Mark V SQL

The very first PASS Business Analytics Conference (PASSBAC) has come to an end. And it was fantastic. Since you follow my blog with rapt joy, you know that I had the great honor of speaking at this shiny new event. While I have spoken many times to user groups and several SQL Saturdays, it was [...]

I have the great joy of presenting at a handful of events in April. I absolution love presenting, so having 3 opportunities to present within the same month is pretty great. PASS Business Analytics Conference – April 10-12, Chicago IL Hailing Frequencies: Analysis Services Terms and Concepts SQL Saturday #211 Chicago – April 13, Chicago [...]

Over the past few years, I have been truly amazed at the power of Business Analytics. I know that part of that is due to my increased exposure to it through client projects. But it seems clear to me that the understanding of what analytics brings to the table has grown as well. One example [...]

That would be my friend, Doug Lane (b|t). Oh, and me, too. We are actually co-presenting a Star Trek themed session: Hailing Frequencies: Analysis Services Terms and Concepts. Abstract: In this Star Trek-themed presentation aimed at non-technical folks, we will explain the terms and concepts important to understand when participating in projects involving SQL Server [...]

I attended my second PASS Summit this year. And my experience, once again, was awesome. This year was definitely a different kind of awesome, though. Last year, I was a First Timer and was awesomely overwhelmed at pretty much everything. This year, I was a First Timer Mentor, helping a group of First Timers learn [...]

On October 20th, I had the pleasure to attend SQL Saturday 146 in my hometown of Nashua, NH. To speak in the vocabulary of my youth, it was wicked good. I have decided to have parts of this post be in Bostonian, the dialect of English that is common in a pretty wide radius around [...]

My customary post-SQL-Event post is a Top Ten List. I have decided that I do not wish to be bound by the limitations of the number Ten. Therefore, from here on out, my plan is to do a more free form recap. SQL Saturday #149 just took place in Minneapolis, MN, on September 29th. There [...]

Long ago in a galaxy far far away, I blogged about my Professional Development Plan (PDP). That really was a long time ago: May of 2010. Wow. I want to provide an update on my own PDP and reiterate their value. I also have a few tips to share. Updates From Last Time 1. One [...]

On Monday, Feb 6th, I passed exam 70-452, Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Hazzah. I am really excited about that, not because I get a shiny new MCITP certification, but because it validates how much I have learned. When I started working with SQL Server about 5 years ago, I [...]

After I come back from an event, whether I presented or not, I like to write up a Top Ten List of my experience. These are not necessarily ranked in order of importance; they were all cool. And there were awesome experiences that could not make the list due to limitations of the number Ten. [...]